This new 3-D collage makes use of a model of the Titanic in a glass-fronted box. The ship is meeting the iceberg and the piece is augmented by various images and texts. The text includes the words of the Titanic’s radio operator to his co-worker, advising him to use the brand new “SOS” signal: “It’s the new call, and it might be your last chance to send it”.

Mary Delany, of Collage International magazine, who has commented on my work before (see the Wordpress blog) writes: “This new piece by Ted Eames uses his trademark satirical humour to explore the ecological disaster that humanity is facing. The mythic status of the Titanic narrative allows for a playful, but compelling, symbol of human pride in unwinnable conflict with the forces of nature, embodied here by the rich green Iceberg Lettuce. The wealth of telling detail adds further layers of meaning, whilst retaining a captivating and haunting visual appeal. The political significance of the story told by this piece is taken a stage further by an accompanying image culled from an old advertisement for Iceberg Lettuce, on which Eames has superimposed the class breakdown of the Titanic’s casualties”.

Delany continues: “The polar bear image has come to symbolise the precarious nature of life under climate change. The text Eames has added provides the following summary: in 1st Class 60% of passengers survived; in 2nd Class 42% of passengers survived; in 3rd Class 25% of passengers survived; amongst the crew only 24% survived.

This leads us to the inevitable conclusion that a similar pattern will occur during the world’s ecological disasters ahead”.

I thank Mary Delany for permission to quote her words. More detailed images of the collage can be seen at the COLLAGE tab.